ASAPS President Peter Fodor, MD, says that a major focus of his presidency over the past year has been to increase plastic surgeons’ exposure to current information on patient safety. “Increased physician education and public education on patient safety are the keys to maintaining quality outcomes in cosmetic surgery,” says Dr. Fodor. “While ASAPS has always considered patient safety a principal focus of its mission, my goal has been to redouble our efforts.”

In May 2004, Dr. Fodor created a Patient Safety Steering Committee, and appointed Felmont Eaves, III, MD, Chair of the Committee, in order to further his objectives for patient safety education. The committee immediately developed recommendations requiring all ASAPS members to complete at least 20 hours of Continuing Medical Education specifically on patient safety every three years. The committee also developed guidelines for ASAPS teaching courses to ensure that each instructional session includes patient safety information related to the specific operative technique being presented. In addition, special courses on advanced cardiac life support, anesthesia care, drug reactions, and postoperative complication management are being developed for future ASAPS meetings.

Recent growth in the popularity of aesthetic surgery has focused media attention on both the benefits and risks of elective plastic surgery. However, some of the information presented to the public may be misleading, says Dr. Fodor. “The effect of reality television shows about plastic surgery has been mixed. On one hand, people have an opportunity to see the benefits of cosmetic surgery, but sometimes the risks are downplayed. This is especially true when we see so many patients on these programs having multiple procedures performed at the same time. While this may be appropriate and safe in some instances, it is not advisable for everyone.” The ASAPS panel will discuss measures that plastic surgeons can take to maximize safety when undertaking multiple procedures in the same operative session. “There are things we can do to increase safety, but we also need to understand when to say 'no' to patient requests for too much surgery at one time,” Dr. Fodor adds.

Dr. Fodor emphasizes that patients, as well as their doctors, must assume certain responsibilities for safety. “First, people must choose their doctor carefully and ask questions to verify training and experience. Anyone with an ‘MD’ can call themselves a cosmetic surgeon and, in fact, some dentists now want to perform cosmetic surgery,” he explains. “Patients also need to be truthful about their medical history, medications that they take, and it is in their best interest to carefully follow their doctor's instructions before and after surgery.”